This invention relates to flashing warning light assemblies of a type having a voltage source, a gate transformer, two storage condensers, a flash tube, an ignition triggering circuit, and an electrical switch in series with the first storage condenser.
Such a flashing warning light assembly is well known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,818 which has two storage condensers, one of which is connected in series with an electrical switch. When the electrical switch is closed both of the storage condensers are charged with the same charging voltage. When the switch is open, the first storage condenser is charged slower via a resistor than is the second storage condenser. By this means, the electrical energy supplied to a flash tube, and, in turn, the light flash energy, is influenced dependent on the switch setting.
This prior-art flashing light warning assembly has disadvantages. The electrical switch is disclosed therein as being hand actuated and this switch allows, dependent on its switch position, only two possible energy levels which can be stored in the storage condensers. The resistor which causes a slower charging or loading of the first condenser, only leads to a relatively decreased loading of the first storage condenser if the gate transformer is turned off after a preselected time period; when for example the second storage condenser is loaded, that is, a costly control of the gate transformer is necessary. Both condensers of this prior-art flashing warning light assembly must have the same voltage ruggedness, rating, or capacity, even if the first storage condenser is charged to a lower voltage than the second storage condenser. That is, a necessarily expensive first storage condenser will have to be chosen having a large space requirement.
A flashing warning light assembly is described in European Patent A1 0 219 999 in which an electrically controllable switch is provided. This electrically controlled switch affects the charging of a first storage condenser first when a second storage condenser is charged and discharged over a flash tube. By these means a double flash is created in the flash tube with a second produced light flash having a greater intensity than a first produced light flash.
This prior-art flashing light warning assembly has the disadvantage that it is only suitable for producing double light flashes. It is not possible to produce light flashes with changeable energy or flash light intensity.
A purpose of this invention is to produce a flashing warning light assembly which can be easily and cost effectively manufactured and which, while reliably igniting a flash tube, makes possible the substantial influencing of energy or light flash intensity of produced light flashes.